Communications

I am collaborating with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a public interest group, and the media organization MuckRock, to survey how law enforcement agencies deploy mobile biometric technologies.

Mobile biometric technologies can be defined as any mobile device or mobile app used by law enforcement agencies to scan, capture, analyze, store, or automatically recognize any physical or biological characteristic of a subject. Commonly used mobile biometric technologies include fingerprint/thumbprint collection, facial recognition, scans of the iris or other elements of the human eye, Rapid DNA, and tattoo recognition. (Please see below for examples.)

Pursuant to New York State Freedom of Information Law (1977 N.Y. Laws ch. 933), I request the following records pertaining to mobile biometric technologies, including those listed above, as well as other biometric technologies I have not identified:

1) Purchasing and procurement documents, including but not limited to: purchase orders, RFPs, responses to RFPs, invoices and contracts

4) Audit documents, including but not limited to: audits of the system, misuse reports, and reports to oversight bodies

In your response, I would appreciate that you individually address each of the above categories of documents individually.

In addition to the above classes of documents, I am also seeking the following information:

- The total number of individuals whose biometric data has been collected over the last three years, - The total number of [biometric data points] contained in the agency’s database- The retention period for biometric data- The number of mobile biometrics devices purchased and in use- The total number of authorized users of the mobile biometrics devices - Which external agencies and entities have access to biometric data in the database and under what conditions, - Whether biometric data is combined with biographic data such as name and address in the database, and - The process by which data is entered into the database

These documents will be published online and inform the public dialog over police technology. Because of the great public interest in these issues, I ask that you waive any fees. If your agency is unable to do so, please contact me with an estimate of the costs.

Dear Michael Morisy:<br> <br>We received your request for records pursuant to the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL). Please note that this e-mail constitutes acknowledgment of your request under Public Officers Law Section 89(3)(a). <br> <br>You will receive a response that your FOIL request has been granted or denied within twenty business days of the date that this e-mail is sent; however, very often requests may be fulfilled in a shorter time frame.<br> <br>If your request is granted and the records are available electronically, you may be charged $.25 per page or the cost of preparing the records and they will be sent to you electronically. If we do not have the records electronically, we will make the paper copies available to you at a charge of $.25 per page. <br><br>For your convenience, you may now submit FOIL requests online: http://www.cityofithaca.org/182/Freedom-of-Information-Law-Requests<br><br>Please refer to FOIL 2015543 if you contact us about this request.<br><br>Dear Michael Morisy:

We received your request for records pursuant to the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL). Please note that this e-mail constitutes acknowledgment of your request under Public Officers Law Section 89(3)(a).

You will receive a response that your FOIL request has been granted or denied within twenty business days of the date that this e-mail is sent; however, very often requests may be fulfilled in a shorter time frame.

If your request is granted and the records are available electronically, you may be charged $.25 per page or the cost of preparing the records and they will be sent to you electronically. If we do not have the records electronically, we will make the paper copies available to you at a charge of $.25 per page.

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Aug. 9, 2015. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #FOIL 2015543 .

Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.

Dear Michael Morisy:<br><br>Please be advised that your FOIL request has been reviewed. We have been informed that, after a diligent search, no documents were found that are responsive to your request.<br><br><br><br><br>We have been informed by the Ithaca Pollice Department that they do not use this technology. Therefore no records were located which are responsive to your request.<br><br>If you wish to appeal this denial, you may do so in writing to the Mayor within thirty (30) days at 108 East Green Street, Ithaca, New York 14850.<br><br>For your convenience, you may now submit FOIL requests online: http://www.cityofithaca.org/182/Freedom-of-Information-Law-Requests<br><br>Please refer to FOIL 2015543 if you contact us about this request.<br>Dear Michael Morisy:

Please be advised that your FOIL request has been reviewed. We have been informed that, after a diligent search, no documents were found that are responsive to your request.

We have been informed by the Ithaca Pollice Department that they do not use this technology. Therefore no records were located which are responsive to your request.

If you wish to appeal this denial, you may do so in writing to the Mayor within thirty (30) days at 108 East Green Street, Ithaca, New York 14850.